


Day 7: The Elvenking and the Dragonslayer

by ofplanet_earth



Series: 30 days of Barduil [7]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bard and Thranduil are cute dads, Bedtime Stories, Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 09:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5158913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofplanet_earth/pseuds/ofplanet_earth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bard tells Tilda the story of a Bowman who must help the ancient Elvenking retrieve something precious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 7: The Elvenking and the Dragonslayer

**Author's Note:**

> this one was requested by [nafanya-a-a](http://www.nafanya-a-a.tumblr.com) on tumblr. she pointed me to [this gifset](http://emperorirene.tumblr.com/post/104382316548/personal-fantasies-4-roy-tells-alexandria-a) and it was too cute to pass up! 
> 
> it's quick and it's simple, but hey— it's a kids' story!

“Will you tell me a story, Da?” 

“It’s already past your bedtime darlin’.” 

“Please Da, just a short one?” Bard sighed. There was no such thing as a short bedtime story, he knew. Especially when it came to his youngest.

 “How about this. If I tell you a story tonight, you have to agree to eat all your vegetables for a whole week. And no complaining,” Bard sat on the edge of Tilda’s bed while she settled in for the night with her plush moose. “Do we have a deal?” 

She seemed to contemplate this for a moment before nodding her head resolutely and shaking the hand Bard offered her. “Deal.” 

“Alright then. Have I told you the story of the Elvenking and the Bowman?” Tilda shook her head, eyes wide and hands tightly holding to her plushie. “No? Oh, this is a good one. Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a great green forest. But he wasn’t just any king. He was the king of the elves and he was on a mission. He had lost something very precious to him and he wanted to find it. But he couldn’t do it alone. He needed help.” 

“Help from who?” 

“He needed a bowman.” 

“A bowman? Like our names?” 

“That’s right. And not just any bowman. Legend told of a man so talented with a bow and arrow that he was even better than the elves of the forest. And so the Elvenking searched for him. He and his guards searched day and night for weeks until they found him. The guards brought the Bowman before the Elvenking, where he sat on a throne made of wood carved like antlers.” 

“Like Moosie’s antlers?” 

“Exactly like Moosie’s only much, much bigger. The Bowman had never seen anything like it.”

“Was he beautiful?”

“Who?”

“The Elvenking. What did he look like?” 

“He was tall— very tall with long silky hair and eyes bright like the stars.” 

“Like Ada?” 

“Yes, he looked a lot like your Ada.” 

“So he was beautiful then.” 

“Aye, he was. All the elves were. And the king said to the Bowman, in his great, booming voice, _I have been searching for someone to help me on my quest. The dragon Smaug has something of mine and I wish to retrieve it._

“The Bowman thought the Elvenking was mad. Dragons were the most fearsome creatures in the whole world, and no one had ever killed one. The king’s quest was a fool’s errand, and he told him so. He asked what it was the Elvenking wanted to take back from the dragon.”

“Was it gold?” Tilda’s eyes were wide as she pulled the blankets up under her chin. 

“Nope. Guess again.” 

“Was it diamonds?” 

“Not just any diamonds. They were ancient stones, almost as old as the Elvenking himself. They had come from one of the trees in his forest, and his forest was very precious to him. The Bowman thought that maybe the Elvenking wasn’t telling him the whole truth. But he could see that these stones were very important to him, so he agreed to help. On one condition.” 

“What did he want?” 

“He wanted to stay with the elves after their quest had been completed. He loved the great green forest and he wanted it to be his home.” 

“What did the Elvenking say?” The door to Tilda’s room creaked as Thranduil pushed it open. Bard smiled. 

“Ask your Ada.” 

“What did the Elvenking say Ada? When the Bowman asked to live with him after they completed their quest?” 

“He said yes, of course.” Thranduil came to sit on the opposite side of Tilda’s bed. “Even though all the elves were with him in his kingdom, the king was lonely. And besides, he liked the Bowman very much.” Bard couldn’t help but to smile. He relished these moments, watching Thranduil with their kids. With Tilda especially. Legolas and Bain and Sigrid were older and they’d outgrown such stories. But Tilda was only six and her eyes still went wide with wonder at talk of dragons and elves and magic.

“Da,” Tilda frowned up at him. “Is this going to be a love story?” 

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Bard laughed. 

“But _every_ story is a love story! They’re boring!” she whined.

“Alright then, this is a story about friendship. Is that alright?” Tilda sighed, but nodded. “So the Elvenking agreed that the Bowman could stay in the forest after they’d completed their quest. They woke with the sunrise and set off toward the mountain where the dragon slept.” 

“Can they get the diamonds back if they don’t wake the dragon?” 

“The Elvenking hoped so. But he also knew that Dragons were greedy, mean creatures.”

“Is that why he needed a bowman?” 

“Aye. So they could kill the dragon if it woke up.” 

Tilda gasped. “What happened?”

“The Elvenking and the Bowman reached the mountain just past midday—“

“Is that like lunchtime?” 

“Yes love. Can I finish the story or do you have more questions?” Bard knew this wouldn’t be as simple as a quick story before bed. 

“Okay but just one more question.” Bard waited patiently while Tilda frowned in concentration. “Can’t the Elvenking use magic to keep the dragon asleep?”

“Well—“ 

“Dragons are magical creatures too,” Thranduil shrugged. “He would be impervious to the Elvenking’s magic.” 

“That’s right. So they tip-toed inside the mountain and began searching for the Elvenking’s stolen gems. And guess where they were being kept?”

“Where?” 

“Around the dragon’s neck.” Thranduil offered.

“No!” Tilda gasped. 

“I’m afraid so.” Thranduil said. “So they had no choice. They had to kill the dragon.” 

“Couldn’t they ask nicely for the dragon to give the diamonds back?” Her eyes were wide and she gripped the blankets and her push moose tight. 

“It couldn’t hurt,” Bard shrugged. “The Bowman drew his biggest arrow, ready to save the Elvenking should the dragon try and hurt his new friend. The Elvenking tapped the dragon on the nose. The beast yawned as he woke up and the wind nearly knocked the king over!” 

“Whoa! That’s a big yawn!”  
 “Dragons are very large creatures,” Bard reasoned. “Their lungs are almost as big as this house.” 

“That’s huge!” She exclaimed. 

“I know! So the dragon yawned, almost knocking the Elvenking over. But he was very strong and so he didn’t fall down. _Good morning,_ he said to the dragon. _Those gems you have around your neck belong to me. I would like them back, please._ ” 

“What did the dragon say?” 

“He asked what made the gems so important. Surely if they were so valuable, the dragon wanted to keep them. But the Elvenking told him that these were no ordinary gems. Not only did they come from the greatest tree in his forest, but there was an elf inside them.” 

“Da,” Tilda interrupted, her voice flat and her expression dubious. 

“Yes love.” 

“How would an elf get inside diamonds?” 

“By magic,” Thranduil said. “The magic of the elves was a mysterious thing, and not even a dragon could break it. When the dragon found out the gems weren’t valuable, he took them off. He handed them to the Elvenking and said he was sorry. He didn’t know whose they were when he found them.” 

Tilda heaved a great sigh of relief. “What happened then?”

“The Bowman and the Elvenking left the mountain. They returned to the green forest, brought the gems back to the tree where they had been made and said a spell. And sure enough, the gems exploded, shining bright white light all throughout the forest. When the Bowman opened his eyes again he saw a little girl standing in front of the tree.”  
 “Who was she?” 

“The princess,” Thranduil said. “It was the Elvenking’s daughter, hidden in white gems to keep her safe.”  
 “What was her name?” 

“Would you believe me if I said her name was Tilda?” 

Their youngest frowned. “No Da. You’re just making that up. What was her name, Ada?” 

Thranduil laughed. “Where do you think your Da and I found your name? Tilda was a beautiful elven princess.” Tilda looked between them, disbelief clear on her face. 

“Are you telling the truth?” 

“Would we lie to you Darlin’?” 

“You told me carrots tasted good at dinner tonight, Da. That was a lie.” 

“What do you mean? I love carrots!” 

“I’m still not sure if I believe you.”  
 “That’s alright, sweetheart.” Thranduil leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “You can think about it more in the morning. It’s way past your bedtime.” 

“Goodnight Ada,” Tilda mumbled. 

“Goodnight munchkin.” Bard kissed her cheek.

Tilda yawned. “Night Da.”

**Author's Note:**

> Tilda didn't want the dragon to die, so... no dragonslaying tonight.  
> plus, what kind of bedtime story would it be if it didn't show the importance of manners and conflict resolution? Thranduil and Bard are good dad's, after all :)
> 
> it's not too late to request a fic! [submit a prompt](http://www.ofplanet-earth.tumblr.com/ask) and I'll add it to the list!  
> I like to tag [inspiration](http://www.ofplanet-earth.tumblr.com/tagged/30-days-of-barduil) for the stories I write.  
> you can keep track of my word count on [my WriMo novel page](http://nanowrimo.org/participants/ofplanet-earth/novels/30-days-of-barduil) or [my tumblr](http://www.ofplanet-earth.tumblr.com/tagged/nanowrimo).


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